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Perceived Injustice is Associated with Heightened Pain Behavior and Disability in Individuals with Whiplash Injuries

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Abstract

The present study examined the relationship between perceived injustice associated with whiplash injury and displays of pain behavior. Individuals (N = 85) with whiplash injuries were filmed while performing a simulated occupational lifting task. They were also asked to complete measures of pain, perceived injustice, catastrophic thinking, depression, and functional disability. Consistent with previous research, high levels of perceived injustice were associated with more intense pain, higher levels of catastrophic thinking, depression, and disability. Analyses revealed that individuals with high levels of perceived injustice displayed more protective pain behaviors than individuals with low levels of perceived injustice, regardless of the level of physical demand of the task. The relation between perceived injustice and protective pain behavior remained significant even when controlling for pain severity, catastrophic thinking, and depression. There was no significant association between perceived injustice and displays of communicative pain behavior. The results of this study suggest that the relation between perceived injustice and pain behavior might underlie the high prevalence of occupational disability in individuals who have sustained whiplash injuries. Implications for intervention are addressed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, McGill University, 1205 Docteur Penfield Ave, Montréal, Québec, H3A 1B1, Canada

    Michael J. L. Sullivan, Nicole Davidson, Beatrice Garfinkel & Whitney Scott

  2. Department of Psychology, Concordia University, Montreal, Canada

    Nathida Siriapaipant

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  1. Michael J. L. Sullivan
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  2. Nicole Davidson
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  3. Beatrice Garfinkel
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  4. Nathida Siriapaipant
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  5. Whitney Scott
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Correspondence to Michael J. L. Sullivan.

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This research was supported by grants from the Fonds de la recherche en santé du Québec (FRSQ) and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).

The authors have no financial interests related to the content of this paper.

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Sullivan, M.J.L., Davidson, N., Garfinkel, B. et al. Perceived Injustice is Associated with Heightened Pain Behavior and Disability in Individuals with Whiplash Injuries. Psychol. Inj. and Law 2, 238–247 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12207-009-9055-2

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